What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

Category: Kings

  • Otakarova was built in 1900. Přemysl Otakar II was born in or around 1233, the son of Václav I, who had been King of Bohemia since 1230, and his wife, Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen. His older brother, Vladislav, became Margrave of Moravia and Duke of Austria in 1246, but died suddenly in 1247, probably of natural…

  • Originally published on X on 9 April 2024. Charles/Karel/Karl was born in 1316, as the son of John of Bohemia and his wife Elizabeth. Because these family trees aren’t confusing enough, his birth name was actually Václav, but he chose the name Charles at his confirmation. In 1323, his father sent him to France, where…

  • Originally published on X on 10 January 2024. Vladislav/Władysław/Vladislaus/Ulászló was born in 1456, as the eldest son of Casimir IV Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. His mother was Elizabeth of Austria, granddaughter of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (and King of Bohemia from 1419 to 1437). Elizabeth’s brother, Ladislaus the Posthumous (Ladislav…

  • Originally published on X on 13 February 2023. It’s not clear what year Vratislavova was built in. When Vyšehrad was a separate town from Prague, this was Hlavní, Vyšehrad’s Main Street, and included the town hall. It merged with nearby Vyšehradská in 1870, but broke free again in 1891, with its current name. The future…

  • Originally published on X on 10 February 2023. Soběslavova was named around 1892, but already existed before then. Soběslav was the youngest son of Vratislav II, Bohemia’s first king (from 1085). In true Přemyslid style, his relationship with certain family members was not the best. His older brother, Bořivoj II, was Duke of Bohemia from…

  • Originally published on Twitter on 24 September 2022. Jagellonská was built in 1896. Continuing (and ending) this trilogy of streets, the Jagiellonian dynasty was founded by Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in 1386. In their time, they ruled Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Bohemia. The dynasty is known as the Jagiellonowie, the Jogailaičiai, the Jagelló and…

  • Originally published on Twitter on 23 September 2022. Lucemburská was built in 1896. The Lucemburkové, or the House of Luxembourg, or D’Lëtzebuerger Haus if you really want to be like that about it, ruled as Kings of Germany, Holy Roman Emperors, and Kings of Bohemia (and Hungary, and Croatia). Luckily, it’s a much shorter list…

  • Originally published on Twitter on 22 September 2022. Přemyslovská was built in 1896. The Přemyslid dynasty ruled Bohemia from the mid-9th century until 1306. So here’s a very abbreviated and yet really quite long guide to all the ones who ruled. Years of rule are often best guesses in the early days. Bořivoj I (872-89):…